SAWNET: South Asian charities & political organizations

This listing is not an endorsement of any particular organization by Sawnet.

Charities

ProPoor is a searchable web site that lists NGO's working in South Asia.
Aasthan Latif Welfare Society is a non-political, non-government, non-commercial/profit, non-religious organization dedicated to promoting basic education for girls in Sindh, Pakistan.
Abhay Ashram is an association for Social Health in Bangalore, India.
AID -- Association for India's Development research, direct action, advocacy, and fundraising for just, equitable, sustainable development in health, environment, energy, education, local economy, rural enterprise and cultural survival for life and livelihood.
ANaRDe Foundation (ACIL-Navasarjan Rural Development Foundation) supports economic upliftment, educational, health, tree plantation, and social/cultural development in villages, with an emphasis on economic activities. Contact them at c/o Aegis Chemical Industries, Baldota Bhavan, 4th Floor, 117 Maharshi Karve Marg, Mumbai-400 016. Tel: 91 22 2032059 Email: gd10@leicester.ac.uk
AODB -- American Organization for the Development of Bihar is aimed at developing the most impoverished region of India.
ASHA is an action group for basic education in India.
Books in Every Home is a nonprofit that works with villagers and writers in Nepal to foster an environment in which reading is truly a part of life, and books are found in every home.
Chandaria Foundation trains Gujarati teachers, and provides free Gujarati language literature. Contact Govind Desai, 56 Loughborough Rd, Leicester LE4 5LD, UK.
Cross-Cultural Solutions is a nonprofit that aims to empower local communities, foster cultural sensitivity and understanding and further social progress in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Volunteer programs - short and long-term. See also their yearly women's tour of India, Saheli.
CRY - Child Relief and You is an independent organization which aims to provide Indian children with food, clothing, shelter and education.
Children in Need - UK works for malnourished mothers and children in India.
Dooley Foundat ion-Intermed has had programs in Nepal for 30 years. They focus on health education, health worker training, preventive medicine, and maternal/child care.
Educate the Children is a non-profit organization based in Ithaca, NY and Kathmandu, Nepal. E.T.C. provides a variety of educational opportunities for thousands of impoverished women and children in Nepal. Our programs include community sponsorships, literacy classes, women's development groups, income-generation training, agricultural and health training, the establishment of kindergarten programs, and early childhood curriculum development. Contact them at info@etc-nepal.org, or (607) 272-1176 or by mail at Educate the Children. P.O. Box 414, Ithaca, NY 14850.
Foster Parents Plan works to find a solution to the complex problem of child prostitution through education, awareness training and skills training. They work with local partners in Bihar.
Friends of Khasdobir works with the community of Khasdobir, Bangladesh for development and education.
Gram Dhan India Foundation is dedicated to the cause of village development, and specifically works with children, women and the unemployed. They have child sponsorship programs, training programs for villagers, and a marketing organization. Contact them at cmarathe@vsnl.com. 6, Chhaya,Lane No.1, Dahanukar Colony, Kothrud, Pune- 411 029. Phone: 0091 020 - 363289/ 234692 Fax: 234692
Global Volunteers coordinates volunteer activites in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, and the Pacific.
Gurukul -- the Teacher's Family is a non-profit group working for literacy and housing in India and in the third world in general.
Hope and Home offers meaningful volunteer opportunities for international volunteers. They seek sustainable solutions for education, health, conservation, orphans' care, and development issues. They have placed over 60 volunteers from 10 different countries in community development projects across Nepal.
Hope for Children is a non-sectarian, non-political, non-profit that assists handicapped, orphaned, poor &/or exploited children by providing education, healthcare and advancing their rights.
Indo-American Charity Foundation (IACF) helps the poor and underprivileged in the Houston area, including food banks, rehab missions, Casa de Esparanza, Star of Hope, and blankets for the homeless. Contact Sujata Sachdeva (713) 661-4172 or Dinkar Chheda (281) 537-9308
India Development Service provides seed money to small but innovative grass-roots projects in India.
International Development Exchange (IDEX) supports community-based development efforts in Africa, Asia and Latin America-and engages U.S. based people in educational partnerships with communities overseas. Current projects include $5,470 to buy sewing machines for women in a village in Andhra Pradesh, so they can generate their own income.
India Literacy Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to making India 100% literate.
Jospice International is a UK-registered charity that works in Pakistan, India, the UK, and South America.
Nalamdana in Chennai focuses on health, education, and women's leadership.
Nagwa Foundation works with and for dowry victims in and around Varanasi.
Paadhai Trust grew out of the attempt to provide longterm help to those affected by the December 2004 tsunami. Based in Bangalore, they work with competent and trustful NGOs to educate, train, and assist populations towards self-sustenance.
Pratham aims to achieve "Universal Primary Education" in Mumbai by the year 2000.
The Rebecca Sanctuary is a UK-based charity dedicated to providing shelter, medical assistance and help to Nepalese women sold into prostitution. Contact: The Police Station, Whitchurch, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 6DJ UK. Tel: 01600 890385 Fax: 44 1600 890385. Email:AFFIE@cooper640.freeserve.co.uk
SAFE -- Save a Female through Education funds the education of girl students in India.
Save a Family Plan is a London, Ontario based NGO that works in India. SAFP is working toward the empowerment of the poor irrespective of caste, creed, gender or political affiliation.
Sakshi is a violence intervention center in New Delhi, India, that provides training, credit, counselling and education about violence against women.
Samhati, a Washington-based non-profit organization of women that funds projects aimed at improving the social and economic conditions of women and children in Bangladesh.
The SEVA Foundation promotes projects around the world related to health, nutrition, education, economic sustainability, environmental protection, cultural survival, human dignity, and social and economic justice.
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) works for the Tamil refugees in Sri Lanka.
Vibha is a US based non-religious, non-political, non-profit organization to help underprivileged children in India.
Book donation:
SAAWA sends books from America to seven South Asian countries.
Domestic violence organizations that help battered or abandoned South Asian women in the U.S are always glad of financial or volunteer support.

Political organizations

India Together. Not exactly a political organization, but a public awareness and solidarity campaign dedicated to spreading good news and positive opinions related to India.
Project-IMPACT for South Asian Americans (formerly the Indian American Political Awareness Committee (IAPAC)). Focus on politics, media, mentoring and leadership.
Forum of Indian Leftists (FOIL)
Action-India is a worldwide political lobbying organization of people of Indian origin residing outside India. Their website has vanished, sorry.
People's Union for Civil Liberties. Founded by Jaya Prakash Narayan in 1976.
Desabhakta Movement for the regeneration of India aims to decrease corruption in India.
Info-India is a worldwide, non-profit, action-oriented, voluntary organization of people of Indian origin residing outside India. Info-India helps the international media to develop and nurture a balanced perspective towards India. Their web page seems to have vanished.